Huskies Sweep Cougars in CIS Hockey Playoffs

REGINA, Sask. (ISN) – The University of Regina’s men’s hockey team ended its 2011-12 season with a 4-1 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night at the The Co-operators Centre. The Huskies won Game 1 on Saturday 8-1 and thus swept the best of three series 2-0.

In Game 1 Friday, Saskatchewan struck first with a Brett Ward shot from the point on the power play that beat Cougar netminder Andrew Hayes at 2:35 in the first period. Canada West leading scorer Derek Hulak added to the Huskies lead with a short handed goal at 7:28. Durand gave the Huskies a 3-0 lead with his first of the night before the period was out at 17:13.

Durand netted his second of the game at 10:55 in the second period. Bortis added the fifth Saskatchewan goal at 12:31 on the power play. Craig McCallum tallied the Huskies’ sixth goal on a partial breakaway shooting the puck into the top corner past Hayes at 5:22 in the third. Just as a Huskie power play ended, Bortis rang in the seventh goal at 9:49. Travis Brisebois added the eighth Huskie goal at 18:16 in the third.

Regina broke David Reekie’s bid for the shutout at 18:04 in the second period on the power play when Russ Nielson found a puck on a scramble in front of the net.

Durand finished the night with two goals and two assists, while Hulak had one goal and three assits.

Reekie made 31 saves in the win, while Hayes made 37 in the loss at the other end of the ice. Regina (5-19-3) capitalized on 1-of-4 chances with the man advantage, while the Huskies went 2-for-4 on the power play.

On Saturday in Game 2, Kyle Bortis, Craig McCallum, Brennan Bosch, and Shaun Vey all scored for Saskatchewan, while Ryan Holfeld made 26 saves to secure the win for the Huskies. Brett Leffler replied for Regina.

No. 7-ranked Saskatchewan finishes the Canada West schedule with a 19-6-3 record and will finish third in the conference standings. The Huskies will host the Lethbridge Pronghorns in a Canada West quarter-final series next weekend.

Bortis opened the scoring for Saskatchewan three minutes into the first with an odd goal that saw his initial shot saved by Cougar goalie Lucas Gore, but the rebound went into the air, hit Gore on the backside, and slid over the line to give the Huskies an early lead.

Leffler tied the game for the Cougars in the final minute of the first period with a shot from the slot that beat Holfeld. Fifth-year defenceman Adam McPherson drew the assist on Leffler’s goal.

McCallum scored his 10th of the season early in the second period to give the Huskies the lead for good, and Bosch and Vey scored in a span of 22 seconds four minutes later to put Saskatchewan up 4-1. The Cougars had a lengthy 5-on-3 in the third period but were unable to beat Holfeld.

Gore ended up stopping 37 shots for the Cougars, who finished 0-for-6 on the power play. Saskatchewan was 1-for-8 with the man advantage and outshot Regina by a 41-27 margin.

The Cougars finish the season with a 5-20-3 record.

Saskatchewan’s quarter-final series against Lethbridge begins February 24. Game 2 is scheduled for February 25 and Game 3, if needed, will be February 26. Puck drop is 7 p.m. each night. For tickets, call 306-966-1111 or visit huskies.usask.ca